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1978 Warsaw Football Team Remembers Humble Beginnings

Published by admin on Wed, 10/03/2018 - 1:39pm

THEY WERE THE GLORY OF THEIR TIMES. The 1978 Warsaw football team returned last Friday to the field where it all began. Pictured left to right- Mark Porter, Ron Roelling, Ray Findley, Eddie Carroll, Mark Eason, Billy Shinn, Ernesto Flores, Leo Porter, Scott Rolf, Clay Kreisel, Paul Eason, Darrel Eason, Gary Martinez, Mike Munson, and Stephen Porter.

By:

Johnie J. Logue

Enterprise Staff

Fifteen players from the very first Warsaw football team reunited last Friday night at Randy Morrow Field for Homecoming.

An undefeated JV team would move up to varsity and take their lumps that year going 1-8. From there they went 4-6 to 6-4 for their first winning season.

Quarterback Scott Rolf remembers how it all started, “My father, Nelson Rolf, was a veterinarian in town and the president of the school board, and along with some fathers decided they wanted a football team and they made it happen. I still remember my father on a tractor leveling the field. It was a community effort.

The grass was planted in rows like crops. By the end of the season, it was basically all dirt.”

Eddie Carroll also remembers the grass, “After practicing a couple of times, the field was like playing on asphalt.”

Darrell Eason remembers the equipment, “Our uniforms came from a school that had discontinued football in the fifties. My helmet had web straps like a kids helmet .The shoulder pads were some of the strangest I had ever seen.”

Stephen Porter commented, “We had no lights and we played all of our home games on Saturday.”

Leo Porter remembers the homecoming parade, “ We only had one float and the players rode in the fire truck.”

Ron Roelling commented, “It was all new to us. Nobody knew what we were doing. It was fun, though.”

Ernesto Flores has fond memories of watching Gary Martinez run the football “ All of the teams knew they had to stop Gary.”

Rolf added, “We threw the football very little that first year. We ran the quarterback option most of the time. I had a decent arm and decent speed, so that is probably why I played quarterback.”

By their senior year they threw the ball a little more. Paul Eason recalls, “Our Coach, Alan Meyers, came from California and talked about how good they were. I had an interception for a touchdown and caught two passes for touchdowns. That was probably my one of my favorite memories in that we beat California.”

Mike Munson said, “The program has come a long way. They have turf now and they have a practice field.”

Carroll would sum it up for the whole team, “ I made a lot of friends and had a lot of fun.”

All of the players mentioned how much fun they had and how far the program has come.

Head Coach Ryan Boyer said, “We owe it all to them. Without these men, I wouldn’t have known Randy Morrow and all of the people who greatly influenced my life “

While like any sport, football has changed some with new rules, equipment, playing fields and such, but it is still basically the same physical, hard-hitting, strategically played game

The Warsaw football program owns two state championships and two runner-up trophies. Not bad for a program coming from humble beginnings.

P.S.-Out of the 33 players listed in the program, at this writing, we know only of the passing of JD Kindle and Russell Duckworth. Kindle worked for Fajen Gunstocks for many years and was a great friend. Duckworth was also considered a great friend and teammate.